The biggest difference I see in this team is that the top players from last year.
Bargnani and DeRozan are now more appropriately the third and fourth best starter on this team. Also the third best player Calderon is now a great sixth man and back up point guard. Fields as the worst of our starters is fine, with Davis, Johnson, Anderson and Ross rounding out a decent rotation providing really good depth for the season. The three additions of Val, Lowry, and Fields provide this year Raptors with an incredible talent increase. Bargnani as your third or fourth best player is acceptable, when Bargnani is your top player that is sad.

Are you suggesting a rookie who hasn't played a single real game minute is already better than Bargnani?

I dont think he will be better than Bargnani this year and I think that will be reflected by the fact that the Raptors dont have a chance to make it to the finals. They make sneak in as the seventh or eighth seed but wont be elite. I do see Val as being a potential All Star and I think by next year he will be the best player on this team. I think he may be the best player defensively on this team by part way through this season if he can get acclimated to the speed of this league. From what I have seen of him I think he can be a top three center in the league. If he can adapt to the nba and stay our of foul trouble I think he will be able to play more than 2000 minutes this year. If that happens I can see him being the second best player on this team by the end of the season.

I will admit I do not have a high opinion of Bargnani and do not see him as a potential all-star. I think Val and Lowry have that potential. I see Lowry as being the best player on the team this year, with Calderon, Bargnani, Val, Derozan, and Davis being the next best five. I think Davis and Derozan make big strides this year and prove their value. However if the Raptors are going to compete this year they need Val to exceed expectations and play to his full potential right away.

A team can be successful with Bargnani as the third or fourth best player but if he is one of your top two your team is not going to be competing for a championship. He can be an efficient scoring option and unfortunately will more than likely be the best or second best player on the Raptors this year. I am just saying if the Raptors have any hope of more than a first round elimination with the roster as it currently is we need a couple of players to play like all stars. The only players I can see playing at that level are Lowry and potentially Val. I dont see it in Derozan, Davis or Bargnani.